Princess Tutu and the Madrigal III: Terra Rising
by paladin313
Summary: Third installment of the Secret Six series. The team is subbing for the Teen Titans, with the aid of one current, and some former Titans, and walk into their hardest challenge yet. Can they face it, and can they rescue Terra before its too late?
1. Chapter 1

Princess Tutu and the Madrigal: Terra Rising: (Secret Six III)

Introduction

Okay, I know that there would be some out there that would ask me, "Why are you doing a third story when it has not had a lot of readership?"

Well, I can only answer that by saying that an artist has to create what is on his heart no matter who sees it. There are a few fans of this saga, and for them I write. This is the third adventure for our art school crew who has now expanded into a super-team of nine, consisting of the Secret Six, and the Shadow Force. Because of the story's locale, this will cut out some characters. However, for what I do here, this is better, because it is easier to do a story when you do this. It is hard enough to read about several characters, imagine what it is like _writing_ it? Anyway, the team is going to San Francisco to mind things in Titans Tower while the team is off somewhere taking care of a foe. They will be aided by one Titan, and a few former ones, and this will be as the first: several smaller adventures with part or all of the crew, with one central theme. Thus, whether you like it, or even if you don't, prepare for another adventure.

Prologue

Deep inside the heart of who many think is just a mere teen in private school, a thread of thought unknown to her ensues…

_My name is Terra, and I am locked away in a heart that will not acknowledge me. I guess I could understand, because a long time ago, I did some terrible things. I was once a Teen Titan, and a trusted friend. I thought I was an outcast, and that no one wanted me, and they—out of the kindness of their hearts—took me in without judgment, and gave me everything. I betrayed them. There was even one boy that gave his heart to me, because he didn't care about things of my past, he just took me for who I was. I betrayed him most of all. Despite all that had been done for me, I still felt like I was odd…that I could not control my powers, or stop being an outcast because of them. I let that be weapons against me, because I let Slade, better known as Deathstroke, convince me that all my fears were true, and that he was the only one that understood. I wanted to belong so bad, I gave myself over to him completely…__**and I do mean "completely!"**__ With him, we ran San Francisco ragged; and despite all that—though they fought me—they STILL wanted to try to rescue me from myself. Once I realized the error of my ways, I turned on Slade, though at the cost of my own life. I petrified myself as a result, and my old friends STILL made a memorial out of it to me. They even put a plaque on it that read, "Terra: a Teen Titian—a trusted friend."_

_That should have been the end of the story, but it is not._

_I was indeed headed for a place of bliss, but just before that could happen, I found myself here. Yet, the instant I was, I was put into this mental prison by my own subconscious. I don't know how this happened, or how I got here, but I want out. However, she…I…has such a tight grip on me, I don't know if I will ever get free. When Beast Boy found me, it made my heart leap. He noticed, because the power that was latent in she who contains me went active for the briefest moment, being that she was near the scene of a Teen Titans activity. He tried so hard to get her to remember who she was, but she resisted with everything she had. She still resists, and denies who she truly is. I screamed and yelled for release. I wanted to hug and kiss Beast Boy so badly. I guess I am now suffering in my own personal Hell for the crimes I had done. I must keep pushing. Even now, she has us in a concert hall, watching the Pas De Six perform their art. I don't know if I care for ballet, but I do like their music, and it's not so bad. I only wish I could tap her emotions as she watches so I could come to the surface. Oh God, can anyone set me free?_

Chapter 1

The Brain sat in his container, watching his new headquarters being built. He was so grateful to have had Deathstroke imprisoned with him, in that, between the two of them, they managed to break out the entirety of the Brotherhood of Evil. This included Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, and General Immortus. Now he had Deathstroke on his side as his prime lieutenant. He was such that he only answered to the Brain, despite the protests of the others, not liking this outsider being with them. This was written off by the Brain as he explained to them that, if it had not been for Mr. Slade, they would still be rotting in the Prison of Super-villains. They started right away in their schemes, as the Brain took Slade's suggestion to go back to his old lab to retrieve a special vial that had been kept in a deep freeze. Deathstroke was thankful that the containment grid managed to survive the police's ravaging of his laboratory when they sought to seek for as much evidence against him in court as they could. In that vial contained some special stem cells extracted from the body of his best apprentice. It was too bad that she had turned on him, but he figured that he could recreate her body and bend the girl's mind to his will. The powers would still be there, but whoever she was would not be there anymore. Soon, it would be time to retrieve her. Both he and Brain did much to manipulate the system to get her into the private school that they had to let her learn how to interact with society, and to learn how it functioned. They had to pull some major strings in the underworld to give her a full identity and interject her into the system, considering that he had been genetically engineered as a teen and placed into the system. They looked over the history of Terra prime and discussed the matter. "Have there been any problems, Slade?" asked the Brain in his tinny, computer synthesized voice.

"Nothing really to fear, Brain," answered Deathstroke, "There was a bit of a snag, but between me and her, we managed to snuff out the possibility of a problem."

"You may think that the problem is gone, Slade," responded the Brain in return, "and while I admire your intelligence—almost on par with my own—any kind of force or person that could divert her course could put in latent things that may put a fly in the ointment, so to speak. Please, tell me what it was that you faced."

"That pest, Beast Boy, from the Titans, tried to get in the way."

"Beast boy, you say? That could prove to be difficult."

"He is a mindless fool."

"He is far more than that, Slade. Do not underestimate what he can do. He may seem like a scatterbrained youth, but where he lacks intelligence, he makes up with wisdom. He was trained by the Doom Patrol, so I know for a fact that he is powerful."

"Believe me, he has moved past her. The robot I sent indeed has deterred him from ever trying to disrupt things again. She even rejected him. Since she has no clue to her own past, it was an obvious outcome. I will admit that he had at least enough wisdom to back off, lest he be accused of being a stalker. Even the Titans forgot her. It is not an issue."

"I would not be so sure. If you awaken her to her powers, even if she is essentially a completely different person than the original, the ones that now currently make up the Teen Titans my try to win her over. That would put a huge snag into things."

"True, but we can only cross that bridge when we come to it. There is one thing that disturbs me, though."

"And what would that be, Slade?"

"The statue that had been the original Terra is no longer there. There is no evidence of it having been broken off, taken, or moved. It was there, and now it is not. I fear what happened, and I am not even sure what it means."

"That is of no consequence. A petrified corpse is nothing to fear. Once we have her. We can both exact our revenge, and then go on to global conquest, starting with the Titans, and the JLA itself. There will be none to stop us."

They then stood quiet again as they went over their plans again in quiet, not knowing of the storm that was brewing.

* * *

The Sumin Ballet in San Francisco just had to have the Pas De Six be the first stop on their west coast summer tour. Since their troupe was unique in their approach to the art form of ballet, wanting to ruffle the purists and the ballet snobs, the Pas De Six fit right in. The audience was packed with the fans of both, and both troupes electrified the crowd. However, one certain fan was not so enthused as she sat in the front row, but she began to get in as things began to gain in energy.

"Come on, Gaia," said the girl to her left, "You have to admit that this was a good idea!"

"I guess so," she said, "I have to admit this is different."

"You do like their music," said the girl to her right.

"Well, who doesn't?" Gaia retorted.

"Hey, no one does what they do!" said the first girl.

"Well, I guess they did surprise me," admitted Gaia, "I mean, I didn't think ballet could be this.

Just as she said that, they began to hear the tones of an electric piano, and the song "Shake a Tail Feather" began. In it, the two troupes were doing ballet combined with all the different dances that were mentioned in the song, with the Pas De Six front and center. Soon, even Gaia was beginning to bob her head a bit to the music as a smile curled over her lips. However, inside her heart, Terra was immensely enjoying the performance, and she was saying to herself that even Garfield, (Beast Boy,) would enjoy this. Yet, out of the blue, (and because of her location,) she began to feel another presence with her, as if someone were trying to reach out and touch her. She focused herself, and did what she could to try to see out of the eyes of her host in hopes to find out what was trying to contact her. Meanwhile, as the song was winding down, Mytho began to feel a touch stronger than all the emotions that were flowing around her. In truth, he had long ago been able to push behind him all the emotions that surrounded him as if it were just white noise, being able to put his mind on just one when the need called for it. However, in this case, instead of him trying to focus on one, it seemed there was one trying to focus on him. It caused him to misstep a bit, and he caught an odd look from Rue as that happened. He shook it off and finished the number, but he kept sensing a strong motion of desperation, and a want of release. As they took their bows for that number, he began to scan the audience for the source of what he sensed. Finally, he was able to focus on a blonde teenage girl. She was applauding with everyone else, and her face gave no indication of what he sense, and yet, from her, it was screaming at him: _please, yes, that's me! Help me! Get me out of here! Help her to remember who she is!_ By this point, everyone was beginning to leave as the next number was about to start, but he just stood there. Rue saw this, as did Fakir, and they both took his arms and guided him off the stage. "Hey, snap out of it, baby," scolded Rue, but she could not help but see the confused look on his face.

"Keep your focus, Mytho," said Fakir, "We still have a third of the show to go."

"That blonde in the front row," said Mytho, "She was calling out to me."

Rue got a look in her eye and said, "HEY! Remember, you're married?" with a tint of jealousy in the tone.

"Everyone was calling out to you," said Fakir, "You're the band heartthrob, remember?"

"No, it's not that," he said, shaking himself into more sensibility, "I mean, something in her mind called out to me, and it was a plea for help."

The two of them looked at him oddly, but they both also remembered his empathic abilities, and asked, "Do you think someone's in trouble?"

"I can't tell," answered Mytho, "Her face was one of the typical teen, but her mind—her heart—told me something else."

"Well, shake it off, snow head," said Fakir, "We have a show to finish."

The show went well, but all through the show, the call kept coming back. When they came to take their bows, the call became more desperate, but he could not move at that instant. At the same time, Gaia could not help but feel that the white-haired one was staring at her through most of the second act. She did enjoy herself, but the staring was freaking her out. Once the bows were taken, she looked at her friends and said, "Let's go, okay?"

"Aw, come on!" snapped the girl to her right, "We have a chance to meet the act after the show, and I don't want to miss that!"

"You go ahead, I'm going home," answered Gaia.

The other two looked at her, but they just shrugged their shoulders and let her go. Meanwhile, Mytho was watching the audience begin to break up, and the blonde disappeared into the mass of bodies. He went backstage, but he could not help but have his thoughts gnaw at him, wondering if there was going to be some sad thing that they would be reading about the next day in the newspapers. Terra, on the other hand, was screaming. She was begging and pleading for Gaia to go with her friends, but it was futile. Gaia either didn't know she was there, or didn't want to know. If a soul could have shed tears, she would have been bawling.

Gaia went home, and her situation was such that she lived by herself. Her memories were as such that said she had lived alone for a time, seeing that her parents had been dead, and she had no family to care for her. She wondered how she didn't wind up in the foster system, and wondered how the state would allow her to live on her own. All she knew was that there was a big inheritance that she was living off, and all her needs were met. She entered the empty house, feeling alone. The images of the one they called Mytho Schmidt staring at her were running through her mind. As she looked about, she began to really feel lonely. Granted, she felt that she had overcome this kind of thing, and had gotten used to it, but that night, she felt so incomplete. She suddenly felt the urge to cry, but she did not know why. What she didn't realize was that Terra, still in her remorse, was beginning to surface, even if only slightly. She turned on the stereo to drown out her thoughts and got herself ready for bed. Even though she was on summer break, she, for the first time, actually wished to have some homework to do, even if just to get her mind off things. She decided to go to the beach the next day: maybe that would take her mind off things.

At the hotel, the crew that made up the six and their entourage were packing their bags and preparing to go to their summer lodgings the next day. In truth, the reason for the west coast tour was that the now sitting Teen Titans were on a distant mission that they knew would take a while to resolve. They therefore asked the Madrigal to "mind the shop" while they were away. As they packed, however, Mytho looked distracted. Rue, now more understanding to the situation, came up to him and began to rub his shoulders. She then said, "Is that girl still bugging you?"

"I have never had anyone's soul actually reach out to me like that," he said, "It is so disturbing. What if she is in trouble?"

Rue sighed and said, "Baby, she slipped away. How would you be able find her out of the millions that live here? I know it stinks, but you know what Billy said. You can't help everyone, but you help who you can."

He grunted a bit, but conceded the point. Besides, what could he do, even if he had found her? What it would take was Princess Tutu, and even then, he would have had to be certain that she was indeed in trouble. He just prayed to the powers that be that somehow, in their time there, they would find her again. In the meantime, he had to get focused. There was the tour, and the main reason for being there. Rue, beginning to feel frisky, looked at him and said, "I know what will get your mind off things."

With that, she kissed him, and they embraced. They then began to entangle as one, knowing that this might be the only night for a while that they got to enjoy each other's company, considering how busy they would be. She knew that it would be an interesting summer indeed.

5


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day, the crew took their hero forms and headed for Titans Tower. With the crew were the Secret Six, the Shadow Force, and a few extras. Because Uzzura would be rambunctious by herself, they brought Nana with them, just to keep her under control. Along with that came Poe. He was not certain that he should leave the Raven's Nest without anyone tending to things, but they assured him that things would be okay, and it would give him plenty to do when they returned for the next school year. They wanted him because they knew that he could be a great asset to them in the tower, and they just didn't feel right in leaving him alone. They were also glad to know that certain alumni of the Teen Titans would be there to aid them, namely, Cyborg, Donna Troy, (the original Wonder Girl,) Starfire, and Beast Boy. They knew the city best, and they would be able to help them get the hang of things while they were there.

The team's van pulled up to a boat launch near the beach that looked straight on Titans Tower. With that, the Marvels got out and lifted the van and prepared to fly it across the water. Poe, who did not care for this, got out himself and just chose to fly across. This was not unnoticed by the beach comers, and they realized it was the Marvels, and thus knew it was superhero business. They applauded as the entourage flew to the island, and that did not escape the notice of Gaia, who was sunning herself on the beach. However, this was also noticed by her true self, because she sensed that someone was reaching to her again—_the same person as before!_ Terra began to cry out again, but she knew it was futile. She might as well try to get her outside self to dance the hula, and she knew that would have yielded the same result. However, in the van, White Knight went pale and pressed his face against the window that looked in that direction. Tutu noticed this and said, "My prince, whatever can be the matter?"

"It's her…the one I spoke of last night!" he said, frantically looking over the ocean of people on the sand doing all the things one would expect on a beach.

"Dearest prince," she said, "How could you ever hope to find her in all that?"

However, Raven began to sense something herself, and said, "My empath powers are not as strong as his, and yet I sense something myself, and something familiar, though faint."

Just as she had said that, Terra also began to sense the faint presence of someone she knew all too well. "Raven," she said, "You're with that crew!"

She reached out with all she had to try to touch her. Maybe that might her curious, and cause them to come to her. Meanwhile, Raven felt it stronger than before. "No, it couldn't be," she murmured softly.

Claire noticed this and said, "Are you saying there is something to this?"

"I don't know," she said, and she seemed to go into a deep meditation. She started to focus on that person, and she said, "Stay strong, Terra. Keep hoping. If you are alive, we will find you."

As the van faded into the distance, so did the contact. Terra was saddened, yet, because of who had spoken to her, she began to have some hope. Raven had been in there. There was hope. It was a small victory, but it was the first sliver of hope that she had had since she became aware of her new situation. There had to be some release…somehow.

The van was set on the helipad atop the tower, and Beast Boy was there to meet them. Out stepped the Secret Six, Raven, the Shadow, and Magpie, along with Nana and Uzzura. "Oh, it's the funny green boy-zura!" chirped Uzzura gleefully when she saw him.

"That's Beast Boy, Uzzura, Beast Boy," he said in frustration.

"Beast Boy-zura," she chirped again, "Makes pretty animals-zura!"

"That's enough, little one," said Nana, patting Uzzura on the head, "We must be on our best behavior. We are guests here."

"Anyway, good to see you again," said Captain Marvel, "It's the least of what we could do for all your help last fall."

"Hey, don't think anything of it!" he said, "Hey, Raven, have you had anything to crow about lately?"

She just stared at him for the lame pun, sighed, and said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same," and just drifted past him, with the Shadow in tow.

They all went inside and saw the others waiting for them. Cyborg was, however, too busy with a video game to notice their entrance, but Starfire proverbially began to glow like a hundred watt bulb. "GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" she said with all the joy of a naïve child with rose colored retinas, "Let us all have the group hug!"

She began to move in, but both Raven and Shadow gave her the death stare as Raven said, "Let's not and say we did."

That cooled Starfire down a few notches, but she quickly shook it off and said, "Well, it is so good to see all of you again. I am happier than a gurtran in a flobnore."

They all stared at her at a loss of how to answer that, to which Black Knight said, "Um…we'll take your word for it."

"Aw, man!" came a cry from the couch, "I didn't think you had things like this on Paradise Island! How did you do that?"

"You don't need this to know how to fight," came a female voice next to him, "I do that for real. Learning the controls is only a matter of technique."

They all went over to see a dejected Cyborg and a confident Donna Troy as they competed at a fighting game. He suddenly said, "How about the best of nine?"

"How about defeating you four times in a row should be enough," came her sly response, "Besides, I think our guests are here?"

He suddenly jumped up, now aware that they had an audience, considering that he had been so focused on the game to notice their entrance, or the shout of Starfire's greeting. "Oh, uh, hi y'all," he said, "I'm Cyborg. I helped to build this place. Glad to have you all here."

Uzzura came up to him, tapped his metal leg, and said, "Oh, are you like me-zura?"

Nana snatched her up, and said, "Uzzura, that was rude! I'm sorry, monsieur, she doesn't know any better."

"Hey, man, it's cool," he said with a big smile, already having ignored the unintended slight, "It's who I am, so I'm not embarrassed. Anyway, just make yourselves at home; just leave the pizza in the fridge alone—I'm saving that for later."

"Yes, some things don't change," said Raven dryly, "Is my room still here?"

"Oh yes!" said Starfire gleefully, "Everything is covered up, but it is as if you never left it."

She then looked down, as if to fish for the correct words, and she said, "I find it odd, though, that the Titans that followed us never chose to occupy it. I am not sure why."

"They probably feared that, if they entered, they may never come out again," said Beast Boy, throwing in a mock evil cackle as he rubbed his hands.

Raven looked dead into his eyes and said, "And this is displaced from the truth…because…"

Suddenly, Beast Boy didn't feel so humorous at the moment. Raven looked at the Shadow and said, "You can stay with me. I think you are the only one who could bear it.

With that, the two of them turned to walk out, and their bags became covered with black and rose up from the ground, following them all the way. Starfire then looked at Tutu and Nana, saying, "You to shall be roomed with me! It shall be delightful making the talking of the girl, the putting up of the hair, and going to the mall of shopping…"

Donna said, "Um, Kory, I think they are here for a reason other than having fun? They will be doing hero work, as well as traveling the coast performing."

However, Tutu, ever the congenial one, said, "Fear not, Amazon sister, I understand her kind intent, and indeed it is not out of her character to be like this. I am sure we shall have a wonderful time."

"Indeed, you are as Princess Diana described you," she said with a smile, "You indeed have the Amazon blood running through your veins."

Tutu curtsied in a ballet fashion, thanking her for the compliment. Starfire piped up and said, "Come, and I shall show you to the bed of guests that I have put in for you two."

With that, they went out. Donna said, "Mary, you will be with me, Magpie, you can have Robin's room. He just asks that you don't touch any of his gadgets, because some are booby trapped against intrusion."

"Hey, I know better than to mess with another crime fighter's gear," he answered. Cyborg piped up and said, "Black Knight will be roomed with me," indicating the Chess Knights, "I have all kinds of workout gear in there, so you two can keep in shape while you work here."

"Thank you, Cyborg," said White Knight, "Such things are welcome, although we do need to use your ready room to practice."

"Hey, no problem," he said, "It's like the one in New York, although it's not quite set up for ballet."

"Well, we can improvise," said Black Knight, but Cyborg said, "Hey, just give me a few hours, and I'll have it a dancer's paradise, although I like hip-hop a bit more."

"Actually, you'd be surprised just how much ballet is in it," responded Captain Marvel, "You should be with us tomorrow morning. We do our Tai Chi at that time and practice a bit. You might learn something."

"Hey, no way man!" said Cyborg, "Do I look like I'm light on my feet."

"Yeah," added Beast Boy, "You don't look light on anything."

"Okay, string bean," said Cyborg, "Just for that, you get to have your butt whooped by me on the game! Man, it's been a while, but I can still put the moves on you!"

"Give me a break," laughed Beast Boy, "You know I am the Ultimate Combat champion."

"Riiiiight!" said Cyborg, "You are a legend in your own mind."

"We can save that for later," said Donna, "Marvel, you will be with Poe and Beast Boy."

"I'll try to endure it," said Marvel, giving Beast Boy a knowing look. Donna said, "We have the guest room set aside for you two, Princess Claire."

With that, they all retreated to their lodgings.

They were indeed looking forward to their tour, and they were also happy to dislodge any prying eyes to their true intent. Mr. Katt needed to go on a trip, and that took him out of the picture. He put them through some heavy training time to make sure they had enough numbers for the tour, and left it to Rue to make sure everything went well. He knew they were professionals, and they could handle it for a few weeks without him. Ahiru managed to convince her father that it would be okay without her. Besides, since the colonel was retiring anyway, and had decided to move to Kinkan Town to be close to her, she told him that there would be plenty of time after. That left them free and clear. They managed to get Nana's parents to allow her to come by assuring her that she would be doing some apprentice work with them. Thus, when they felt that she would be gaining from it, they were more than happy to let her go. Rachel went along as a guest singer, and Elly's parents were all agog when they learned that she would be learning to hone her artwork in stage craft. Besides, it would get her out of the house, and they hoped that it would get her over her introverted ways. This allowed the whole team to be together. This would be the first major actions they would take together, and they were anxious to hone their skills as a team. Having the other heroes there to help was a plus, because they still had much to learn about being heroes themselves.

Later that day, Gaia went home, but her actions were not unobserved. Deathstroke watched her on a monitor, as the brotherhood had covered the place with hidden cameras. He was going to keep an eye on her as much as possible. Even though the Brain had no concerns, he still did. Beast Boy could have blown the whole thing, and he could not help but think that he had planted something latent in there. He had observed his efforts to revive her, even though there would be no way this could happen. The body was the same, but because she did not possess the memories of Terra prime, there was nothing to recall. It was easy for her to push him away. Yet, there were moments—fleeting ones—but moments nonetheless, where it looked like she was beginning to warm to him. It could be that he was just able to charm her. He was a dimwit, but he did have a charm to him, so that should not have been of any surprise. Still, he could take no chances, and dispatched his robot twin to deal with him. It was then he learned just how powerful that Beast Boy was. The robot was trained to fight exactly as Deathstroke, but despite Beast Boy's lack of ability in fighting, he more than made up for it in his shape-shifting ability. If you got him mad enough, Beast boy was capable of anything. He was even able to observe her rejection of him. The problem was that, though she pushed him away, the words were not of one who was mad that he was making such a hard pursuit of her, but they sounded like they were more out of desperation. It was as if she said, "Please, don't make me remember what I have buried. I would rather it this way. I have a normal life now, and I like it that way."

When he left the recorded message in the robot, telling Beast Boy that she may not want to remember, there was a tinge of sincerity to it. He wondered if the stem cells actually retained something of her memory. This, he did not want to find out, and he was glad he got the hint. Yet, he had to watch her. If anything was latent in her about her past and her old self, he would have to move in well before he was ready. Soon, it would be time, and he kept a close watch. He had heard rumors of the Teen Titans being out of town, and a contingent of Titan alumni were minding things. If that were the case, they were undermanned, and he could start to put things in place. He would have his apprentice back, but not the way the Brain thought. For Deathstroke, the Brotherhood of Evil was merely a means to an end. There was no way he would share power with a brain in a jar set on a robotic body. He would have to slowly bend the Brain's henchmen to his side, and then act from there. With Terra fully trained in her powers at his side, there would be nothing the Brain could do. If they did not want to come along, he knew how to deal with that. Yes, there would be conquest, but not the way the Brotherhood thought. He would rule, and he knew the Brain was not as smart as he claimed to be. He had smarts, but it was too mechanical. Just watching him play chess against Monsieur Mallah told him that. There was not enough humanity left in him to think that way anymore, and that would be his downfall. One day, he would have to play the Brain in chess, just to see how he thought. It would be valuable later on when it came time for his coup d'etat. He then turned on a camera that focused on Titans Tower, saying, "There is nothing you can do now to stop me. Who else would there be in there to stand in my way?"

Later on that night, the Madrigal had reverted to their standard forms, and there was a heated contest. "BOOYAH!" came the call from the couch, as Cyborg beat Beast Boy for the umpteenth time that night, "Let's face it, man, I still got it!"

Beast Boy looked dejected, but Ahiru said, "May I try?"

Cyborg looked devilish and said, "Aha, another victim! Have a seat. You ever play before?"

"No, not really," she said, and Cyborg began to show her how the controls worked. He then said, "Okay, since this is your first time, I'll go easy on you!"

However, once the fight commenced, within twenty seconds, Ahiru had Cyborg's character on the ground. "At-a-girl, Duck!" called out Rue, but Cyborg looked aggravated, and said, "Hey, beginner's luck. Try that again."

"Uh, okay," she said, and they went at it again. In thirty seconds, Cyborg was beaten again. Ahiru giggled and said, "I guess I'm a natural."

Cyborg scowled and said, "Oh really! Do that again, and this time, no freebees."

Now Cyborg began to concentrate on what he was doing, trying to pull out as many secret moves as he could, just trying to establish who the master of this thing was. However, Ahiru was stumbling into those moves, and remembering how she did them. Time and time again, she put him down, and the Madrigal cheered her on. However, Mytho looked lost in thought. Rue said, "Baby, are you still thinking about that girl?"

"I just can't shake the feeling that she needs help," he said, "But nothing has come up in the news or anything. I guess she may remain a mystery."

"Maybe not," said Raven, "I've spent the afternoon meditating on this, and there may be more than meets the eye here, mainly, because I am familiar with this life pattern."

Now the couple stared at her in amazement. "What are you saying?" they asked.

She looked at Beast Boy, as he was smiling ear to ear, ecstatic that Cyborg was meeting his match, and decided that this would be better not to be heard by him. Raven said, "Come up to the roof, because I have a story to tell you."

5


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rue and Mytho joined Raven on the roof, who took down her hood to talk to the two of them more face to face. She then said, "Mytho, you know that I am also empathic, and a healer like you. I may not be as strong as you as an empath, but today I sensed what you had to have been sensing. Let me ask you: did you have a guess that night as to where the signals emanated?"

"Yes," he said, "It was strongest from a girl in the front row."

"What did she look like?" pressed Raven.

"She was a petite blonde with long blonde hair," recollected Mytho, "She was a bit of what you Americans call a 'Plain Jane,' but she did have a beauty to her nonetheless. It was a beauty that any boy would be foolish to pass up."

Raven put some thought to it, concentrated, and up the stairwell floated a picture. It was all black because of Raven's abilities, but it went away when she grabbed it. She then showed it to Mytho, asking, "Is she who you saw?"

He held a picture of a smiling blonde young lady with long hair, a pair of goggles set on her forehead, a khaki bush jacket, khaki shorts and leather gloves that covered her wrists and flared out, a black tee shirt with a silver letter "T" in a circle, and tan hiking boots. She had her arm around Beast Boy's shoulders, and both were giving the "thumbs-up" symbol as Beast Boy was winking. It looked from the picture that they had been on a mission and successfully completed it. Mytho was sure the instant he saw it, and said, "That's her."

Raven just nodded her head up and down, saying, "And if what Beast Boy told me was correct from a couple of years ago, he may well have found her."

"What happened?" asked Rue.

"Prepare for a tale," answered Raven.

The couple took a seat on the tarmac as Raven began to spin her tale: "The name of the girl in the picture was Terra Markov."

"_Was_ Terra," asked Mytho quizzically.

"Please, let me explain," responded Raven, "About four years ago, we stumbled across her in a cave as the Teen Titans of that time had to cope with a villain. She aided us, but she almost got everyone killed in the process. However, after some reassurance, we convinced her to hang around and learn to use her powers. We never knew what the source of her powers was, and she said that she had always had them. Thus we had to assume she was born like that, that it was in here genes. She had the power to control and manipulate anything made of raw soil, rocks, ores, or any item that was still close to being in the raw. If it were already processed metals, she could not control it. However, she could do this, and use it to make projectiles, walls, shelters, you name it. She could even travel around by causing a large boulder to come underneath her, and maneuver on top of it. However, on our first meeting, she still was not sure about her abilities. When we met Deathstroke at that time, she was still not certain, and almost put us into jeopardy. Deathstroke saw that, and figured that he had something to work with in the unconfident girl. Because many considered her a 'Plain Jane,' though for what reason I could not figure out, she already felt like an outcast. This didn't help. She fled back to the Arizona desert from which she hailed. That wasn't the end of the story, however.

"In about six months, she thought things through and came back. At that point she joined the team and moved into the tower. Sadly, it was her home permanently, because she was an orphan child, and had to make her way on her own. What we did not realize was that she still had not learned to control her abilities, and confessed this to Beast Boy, with whom she built a relationship. However, Robin figured out things on his own, and confronted Terra about it. Terra thought Beast Boy had betrayed her, and secretly had liaisons with her, trying to woo her into being her apprentice. She managed to cause an incident which got the Titans out of the tower, after which she allowed Deathstroke into the tower, and then to start to wreak havoc over the city. Once Beast Boy learned of her betrayal, he turned on her, driving her to be closer to Slade. The two of them took complete control of the city, and we had to go underground. She gave herself over to him soul, spirit…_and body_! She then had her wear a suit of armor, but what she did not know was that the armor was a failsafe for Deathstroke. If she decided to disobey him, he could take control of her to do what he wanted. For a bit, she served him well, but when she found out that he really was a monster, and that we were actually trying to rescue her from herself, feeling that she was just not in her right mind, she turned. She must have thought about the good times, even though she tried to kill us one by one. She just could not bring herself to finish us off, and that's when Slade took control of her. Because of all of that, she turned on him. We were in an underground lair, and considering where this city is located, it was seismically active in that spot. The fight was epic. Slade got himself in over his head that time. Her actions were causing lava to break to the surface, and it threatened to open a new volcano right there and threaten the city. She used that to defeat Slade, but the amount of power it took to tame the fury of a volcano must have been too much for her. She became one with what she controlled, and it petrified her in a position of battle action. Below it we placed a plaque: Terra: a Teen Titan, a true friend. Yet, it does not end there. I must show you now what we found a couple of years ago."

With that, Raven used her abilities to transport them to the spot.

Raven produced a flashlight from her gear and shined it on the spot. The plaque was still there, but the statue was gone. "We were shocked when we saw this. We knew that Deathstroke had somehow escaped death, but we were certain she had been finished. The statue is gone, and we don't know why or how. Yet, Beast Boy ran into that girl, and nearly broke his neck to try to either get the girl to remember, or just convince her that she was Terra. All his efforts failed, and she just faded from view. Well, she did, until now."

The couple stared in stunned silence. The story was heart rending, but they now wondered if Mytho had sparked something. Raven then said, "We have to watch for all kinds of crimes and troubles, but we have to keep an ear open, and find her if we can."

Raven then went up to the now barren pedestal and felt it. "Indeed," she said, "Something supernatural happened here. It seems that, whatever caused that girl to spring up out of nowhere awakened the essence of what the original Terra was. Scary to think it, but it is possible that she was trapped inside that statue, and it somehow transferred the whole kit and caboodle into the girl. She called out to me today."

"You heard it as well?" said Mytho in surprise.

"Yes," answered Raven, "If she is there, she needs to come around before trouble comes."

"What kind of trouble could that be?" asked Rue.

"She may awaken to her powers," said Raven with great concern, "Or it could be that Slade is watching her from somewhere. If so, he would love nothing more than to find her in this state. If she has no clue to her past, or her powers, he could bend her much easier and that…"

"…and that could spell death and destruction," finished Mytho, anticipating the answer.

"But why did you bring us here alone?" quizzed Rue, "Why did you not tell the others?"

"If Beast Boy had not been there, I might have," she responded, "Yet, if he were to find out like that, he would have torn the city apart trying to find her. Recall that Beast Boy is quite powerful, despite the way he acts sometimes. We will tell him, but it has to be the right time."

With that, they returned to the tower, hoping to isolate the others and tell them what was going on, but not let Beast Boy in on it, lest he go and do something stupid.

The next morning, the six, with Nana, awoke for exercises, and to go over the numbers for the next show in a few days. In the meantime, a hero rotation would be established, having certain groupings on duty at all times to call the others into action when needed. It was then that Beast Boy and Cyborg intercepted Ahiru and Billy as they were going to go out and see the sights. When the other two learned of their plans, they insisted that they allow the couple to guide them around. They had wanted some time alone, but the figured that there would be other chances, and did not balk on the hospitality of the two. With that, they got into Cyborg's car, which transformed itself into a hovercraft to get them out of the bay and into dry land. Cyborg then began to not only show them the normal sights, but also showed them things that their teenage minds would probably find more interesting and entertaining for their free time, and how to get there quickly. They had gone so long that they had missed lunch, and it was now two in the afternoon. Cyborg's hunger pangs made it clear that they needed food, and right away before he went ballistic. Beast Boy then said, "You know what that means!"

"Andrea's Pizza?" asked Cyborg rhetorically, "BOOYAH!"

They pulled up to a pizzeria that was situated where two streets merged into one, and the restaurant sat right in the wedge, with both a dine-in and au fresco area. Since it was a nice summer day, it was an easy choice to choose to eat outside. Ahiru said, as they took their seats, "But won't that attract flies?"

"Nah, that won't be a problem," said Beast Boy, as he changed into a frog and gave a good croak. That got a big laugh from everyone there. Cyborg then said, as Beast Boy changed back, "I thought you were a vegetarian?"

"Hey, I don't have to eat them," said Beast Boy, "I'll just put them in the trash can over there."

Everyone made "gross" sounds, but still smiled. Cyborg then looked at Billy and said, "I bet you could still put away Andrea's mighty meat!"

"Whoa, that gave me massive gas the last time!" Billy laughed, but Cyborg then said, "Hey, you know you want it!"

"But I don't like anything that heavy," said Ahiru, to which Billy said, "Well, the thing's and 18-incher, we could go halves, Baby Duck."

"I like the six cheese she has," said Beast Boy, "And why do they call you 'Duck' anyway?"

"That's what my name means in Japanese," she answered, but as she did, Beast Boy turned into a duck, and it looked like the very duck that Edel had transformed her into for one adventure. Ahiru, to be funny, picked him up and cuddled him, saying, "Aw, what a cute little ducky!"

Even in this form, Beast Boy was able to talk, and he was saying, "Hey! Okay, okay, I get the point."

Everyone was busting up again, but now Beast Boy was not so amused anymore. They decided on the half and half, and Beast Boy went up to order. While he was doing that, a trio of girls took a table next to them, and one of them, a fairly decent looking blonde. "Well, they say it's the best pizza in the neighborhood," said one of the girls, "Look, Gaia, even superheroes like the place," pointing to Cyborg. However Gaia wasn't so sure about it, as she said, "Yeah, and a few bad memories."

Just as she said that, Beast Boy was returning from putting in the order and plopped down before he noticed who was next to them. Just as he looked up, Gaia's eyes and his met. There were a couple of awkward moments, and Beast Boy finally said, "Um…it's been a while."

"Yeah, it has been," Gaia said in return, and very monotone-like.

After a few more awkward moments, Beast Boy finally said, "Look…I've thought about it for a time, and I really want to say that I'm sorry for…"

"Hey, no biggie," returned Gaia, "Look, it must have been not long after you lost her that you met me. You were hurting. I understand."

They fell silent again as her friends were trying to interest her in their order again. Gaia knew that this would make the meal uneasy, but Beast Boy was one step ahead, and said, "Um…can we kinda move tables, you know, to give them some privacy. I mean, autograph hounds and things like that may make it hard for them…"

However, one of the girls recognized Ahiru and Billy, saying, "Hey, you two are from the Pas De Six! Cool!"

Ahiru smiled and said, "Shh: we've been lucky all day today!"

The other girl said, "Oh, sorry!" but Billy, the ever cordial one, said, "Hey, why don't you three sit here. There's plenty of room, and it's on me!" unaware of the awkward situation between two of the people there. Yet, the two aside Gaia squealed and were over at that table in an instant, dragging Gaia with them. However, they ended up situated as to where Beast Boy and Gaia were face to face. The conversation ensued, but Beast Boy and Gaia were unusually quiet. Ahiru picked up on this, and said, "So, do you two know each other?"

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, but uncertainly.

"In a sense," said Gaia immediately after.

"Well, how long have you two known each other?" asked Ahiru.

Beast Boy sat silent, not sure how to answer, but Gaia said, "We met a couple of years ago, but we just decided to be friends. It's been a bit. I suppose superhero business keeps him busy."

She then looked at him, hoping he would play off it, and he said, "Yeah, it's been awhile."

"It's always nice to meet friends of my friends," said Ahiru, oblivious to things, but Beast Boy was amazed that she would even say the word "friend" in this whole thing. "Acquaintance" would have been fine for him, but that amazed him. A few moments later, he felt a piece of paper brush his knee and he subtly grabbed it and looked at it. It was a note from Gaia that said, "Don't look so surprised. I said I wasn't your girlfriend; that did not mean I hated you."

He looked up at Gaia, who looked at him, and then gestured over to a spot. They excused themselves, and no one paid it any mind, figuring that two old friends were about to get reacquainted.

When they sat, Gaia said, "Look, I kind of owe you an apology. I was kinda harsh the last time we met. I just wanted to get the point across that I wasn't who you were looking for."

He was looking at the table, not sure what to do. She reached over and lifted his chin with her right forefinger so he could look at him eye to eye, and she said, with a slight smile, "Hey, let me tell you: if things had been different…well…to be honest, I can maybe see what this Terra saw in you. You do have good traits, Garfield. If you could give me a bit of space, I'll get a hold of you somehow. Maybe we could start again, but as Garfield and Gaia, okay? What do you say?"

He smiled shyly, and said, "It sounds like a gentleman's agreement."

"That's good enough for me," said Gaia as she stuck out her hand. He straightened out and shook her hand with the look on his face as if he had just finished a business deal. "Now, let's get that food. I'm starving. Besides, I had to do this, or else I don't think either of us would have been able to eat."

They returned to the others, and the mood was then easier, even though Beast Boy and Gaia really didn't say much to each other. As they were finishing the last morsels, a bank alarm bell sounded. A blast came through the front of it, and out stepped Gizmo, Shimmer, Psimon, and Mammoth of the H.I.V.E. Five, Mammoth holding most of the money. Immediately, Beast Boy and Cyborg were up and ready to fight, knowing who they faced. Everyone hit the deck, but Billy and Ahiru slipped off to take action of their own. The Titan's communicators went off, and Cyborg said, "Hey, we're right in front of it, and are they ever going to be sorry for interrupting lunch!"

With that, the two of them stepped in front of the foursome, to which Gizmo said, "If it isn't the Teen Turds! There are only two of you? This should be fun! Mammoth, get them."

With a grunt, he dropped the bags and started to advance. That was just as a loud thunderclap was heard, and a moment after that, Captain Marvel stood before them, saying, "Okay, Mammoth, try me!"

He growled and punched Marvel in the stomach. Marvel had to admit that he actually felt that one, but Mammoth squealed in pain as he held his now sore hand. Gizmo, realizing that there was no way to match the Red Cheese, started to amble off. Cyborg swiftly intercepted him, and said, "Hey, where do you think you're going, little man?"

Immediately, six spider-like legs came out of his jet pack and started to scurry him into a position to fight. Shimmer started to move away when she ran smack into a green grizzly bear, growling loudly, with his teeth bared. "You idiots!" exclaimed Psimon, "Don't run, fight!"

As he said, that, he turned around to see a very determined Princess Tutu facing him, saying, "Your malevolence shall not serve you well this day."

"Fool!" he snapped, "You have no idea what faces you!"

With that, he tried to make a psionic attack, but Tutu, being a psionic fighter herself, detected his intent and took the position of refusal. That deflected the attack straight back at Psimon, who was then knocked on his butt. He was up quickly and now understanding why the others had wanted to flee. "Very good," he said, as he stood up, "Let's see you deal with this!"

Two tables near her rose up and moved at her with the intent of sandwiching her. However, she easily pirouetted out of the way, and at the same moment, causing vines to grow out and entangle the tables. They were then swung at Psimon and slammed him into the wall. The ivy on the bank then engulfed him and wrapped up his mouth as well. Yet, she learned that was a useless gesture as he spoke right into his mind, saying, "You think you can stop us that easily?"

She did a short jette up to him and did a fouette before him, saying, "It seems to be working so far, and, besides, I can do more with my mind than you think."

Then she stroked his chin, making contact, and saying back into his head, "I think it's time for you to take a nap."

He then went unconscious, and then she turned her attention to the people around. She went over and started to surround the au fresco area with a protective layer of vines, but not before someone slipped out. For some reason, Gaia was concerned about Beast Boy, and wanted to see him in action. She was to get more than she wanted.

In the meantime, Marvel and Mammoth tangled. Mammoth was not as strong as Marvel, but he was strong enough to be a problem, and he was just as invulnerable. The two of them slugged it out and wrestled, but Mammoth, though strong, was not mentally equipped to handle his much smarter foe, which, with his super speed, slipped behind Mammoth, and put him in a rear naked choke, knowing that this may be the only way to subdue his foe. As Mammoth was going out, it was then that Cyborg and Gizmo clashed. Gizmo used several different kinds of gadgets, mostly electric based, to try to tap into Cyborg's circuits and fry them. However, Cyborg was up to the task, crushing most of the devices before they could hurt him, and he responded by shifting his hand mechanics into his plasma gun, shooting off the mechanical legs one by one. Gizmo then tried to activate his pack, but he then suddenly found himself ensnarled in vines as Tutu came up to help. Gizmo was struggling and cursing up a storm, trying to get free, acting like a naughty, hyperactive child. That's when Tutu came up and put him out, saying that she did not care for such coarse language, and stating that he needed a "time out" to think about it. That left Beast Boy and Shimmer.

Shimmer stood their in her finest Goth look, saying, "You have the audacity to fight me?"

Beast Boy lunged forward, but the ground underneath him became soft, and yielded to his every step. He sank up to the ankles, started to try to get his paws out, and found himself even deeper. "How do you like quicksand on a city street?" mocked Shimmer, but Beast Boy was not to be outdone. He changed into a diplodocus, and used the wide feet to negotiate the quagmire. He was about to lunge forward when a rain of small rocks, about the size of golf balls, peppered Shimmer. Beast Boy used that moment of distraction to whip his tail around, slamming her hard into a wall, knocking her unconscious. He stepped off the muck and onto solid ground. He turned back to himself, trying to figure out where the rocks had come from. He finally turned about to see Gaia standing there as pale as a sheet. "Was that…" Beast Boy started to ask, but then he began to mutter, "But that couldn't have been you. I mean, you're not…but only you were standing…but it can't…"

As he muttered, it looked like Gaia was trying to find some words to say but could not, and she was looking all around her, as if the words hung in midair for her to pluck down and use. Just then, Cyborg called out, "Hey, Beast Boy, we need you to give a statement to the police here!"

In that moment when Beast Boy turned around to acknowledge Cyborg, Gaia had fled. Beast Boy looked back around to find she had gone and melted into the gathering crowd. He could not say anything at that point and just smacked one fist into the other hand, and went to give his statement. "It had to have been her," he thought, "Tutu can't do that. No one was near enough, and Shimmer wouldn't have pelted herself. Oh man, why do things have to be complicated all the time?"

He went over to give a statement, but kept looking over his shoulder, wondering about the girl that seemed to open up to her, and now seemingly closed herself up again.

5


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gaia ran all the way home, now frightened over what had just happened. Where had those rocks come from? All she knew was that she saw Beast Boy in trouble and desperately wanted to help him out. What she had not realized was that, in that one moment of deep awareness, what was locked in her subconscious mind connected for the briefest moment. Both she and Terra were desperate to help him, and because she opened herself up so vulnerably, and because they both had the same mind for the briefest moment, Terra was able to surface, even for just a glimmer of a moment. She did what she knew to do and distracted his foe long enough for him to lash out. Yet, when Gaia had realized what had just happened, she came to herself, automatically pushing Terra back down. Now she was running more from herself quite literally than from that situation. One thing she feared was that Beast Boy might start to get some crazy ideas again and try to convince her that she was who she was not. However, what Gaia did not realize was that this had happened before, and it was during the first moment that Beast Boy had met Gaia. He had also been in trouble similarly, and the same thing had happened. In that same instant, Terra was able to come forth, though the connection was not quite as strong. Yet, this time, there was a stronger link, and there was later to be some repercussions.

She got home and closed the door behind her, locking the door behind her out of a matter of habit, and because she had the instinct that she was being chased, though by what she could not see. Though it was still daylight, the house had an eerie quietness to it, and the dark areas of the house seemed much darker. She instantly went to the stereo and just turned it onto her favorite radio station, just to try to drown out some of the thoughts that were coming to her at that point. She sat on her couch and looked around. She had always known that this had been her home ever since she had been sixteen. She knew that she had been put here after the inheritance came to her, with the state keeping an eye on things to be sure she was okay. However, the state lady only came by twice a year, and she wondered why they did not take more concern than that. She started to ponder things, and in truth, she had memories of her past, but they, for some reason, were vague. The psychiatrist that had dealt with her after the accident told her that it was something that happened in her mind that kept her from remembering the horrible incident. Because of that, it blocked other memories, and that was why. Yet, that was a time ago, and she should have been over things by then. She went to the shelves that held some of her keepsakes, and she saw the picture of her mother and father when they were at Happy World when she was a kid. There were faint memories of that, and a picture to substantiate it, so it had to have happened. She then went to her photo albums, suddenly realizing that she could break how she was feeling by going over them, matching memories with images. She spent a good two hours going over them, and every memory had a correlation. "No," she said, "I am Gaia, not some dead superhero."

She closed the album and cradled it to her chest. She looked around the room at the modern decorations and the off-white and grey walls with a black motif, the leather couch and chairs, the fine kitchen with the central island stove, her king sized bed with the black satin sheets and comforter. Her parents had set her up well, and she was so thankful for that. "I am Gaia," she said out loud, "This is who I am. All this is mine. Thank you, mom and dad, you took care of me, even after you had to go."

She then sat there with a smile on her face, but yet with a tear rolling down her face. She had to assure herself of these things, for this was all to which she had to cling.

Yet, all this was not unseen. Deathstroke took the time to check in on his "experiment" to see how she was doing. He was a bit disturbed when he saw her doing what she was doing. It was at that moment that the Brain came in. "Watching your ward again, I see," stated the Brain as he watched him observe.

"Her behavior is a bit disturbing," said Deathstroke in return, "She seems to be going about trying to reassure herself that all she sees is real."

"It only makes sense, Slade," responded Brain, "Her memories will always be vague, considering that they are merely planted memories."

"It appears that my idea of including photographs of friends and family was a good one. She has convinced herself once again by them that everything is as it should be."

He stroked the chin of his mask in thought, and he said, "Only, I wonder what caused her to go into this?"

The Brain went over to the control panel and pushed a switch. He then said, "I have cameras all over the city, and any activity of the day can be brought up here. I will have the computer try to filter out all images except ones that deal with her and see to what she has been exposed."

The computer did its calculations, and soon a montage of Gaia's day was coming up. Soon, it had her at a popular pizza parlor, and both of them instantly focused on the people with who she sat. It disturbed them more when Beast Boy and Gaia sat at a separate table to talk. However, they felt a bit better when they shook hands as if they had just gotten done making a business deal and return to be with the others. From there, it did not seem out of the ordinary, as if the two metahumans sitting there were normal teenagers. "I don't think anything would have caused her to act that way from this."

"We must see more," said the Brain, "There must be something to this."

It was then the bank robbery was seen, and then the emergence of Captain Marvel, and then one that Deathstroke was well familiar with, and was the last person he thought he would see in San Francisco. "Who is the ballerina?" asked the Brain, "I do not recall seeing her. That is an unusual choice for a metahuman to wear as a uniform."

"She is far more powerful than she first appears," responded Deathstroke, remembering how she had soundly defeated him. All his work to bring her down backfired on him, and seemed to have the opposite effect. Now she was here, and he knew that she would make a bee line to put him away again if she knew that he was around. Then came the incident with the rocks, the shocked look, and then the sight of Gaia fleeing the scene. "I think we have what we seek," stated the Brain, "Apparently, something has awoken in her."

Deathstroke watched the scene for a minute or two, and then he said, "However, what disturbs me is how she knew to fling the rocks at Beast Boy's antagonist. Yes, powers may be awakening, and that should be expected at some point. However, how would she know what to do?"

"Perhaps it is time for her 'social worker' to pay her a visit," stated the Brain, "I shall send Madam Rouge to check up on her tonight. We must shore this up before it becomes a problem. If it is not as good as it could be, you may have to speed up your time table."

"Yes," said Deathstroke, "This has to be handled delicately."

All the way back to the tower, the group buzzed about the day's events, feeling the adrenaline rush that normally accompanied completing a mission. However, all Beast Boy could do was stare out the window as the craft made its way across the bay. He saw the rocks, and he had finally come to accept that Gaia was not Terra, and that Terra was gone. Then that had to happen. Now he wondered if she just may be, but she just really does not want to remember. Cyborg then said, "Okay, Beast Boy, you're awfully quiet. Now, I know that means you have a problem."

Beast Boy did not answer, not certain that Cyborg would understand, and not even confident he would take the thing seriously. Cyborg just shrugged his shoulders, knowing that Beast Boy would open up eventually.

They parked the vehicle and went up to the dayroom. It was sunset by that point, and they passed by Shadow Force as they prepared to take the night shift. However, as Beast Boy passed, Raven immediately picked up on his state at the same moment Mytho snapped his head around and said, "Garfield, what is wrong? Your sadness is so blinding right now, I feel like I need sun glasses."

He looked at Mytho and said, "It's a long story, but I don't think you would understand," and he moped back to his room. Raven looked at Ahiru and asked, "What happened at the pizza place, Duck?"

"Well, we stopped the robbery, like you alerted us to," answered Ahiru, "but a girl that seemed to be an old friend of Garfield's suddenly ran when it was all over. I don't know why."

Raven said, "Do you have your communicator?"

"Right here," she answered, and it suddenly went black and floated from her hand to Raven. She then placed it on a slot designed for such devices and started to play the events. When she saw the rocks fly the way they did, it shook her. She rewound it, and focused in on Gaia. She watched her go pale and blank, and then the rocks flew. She brought it back again, and started to reach into the ethereal plane to get a sense of things, and she looked at the image again. It seemed at that point that Gaia was silhouetted by the image of Terra, as if they were both standing there. Raven returned the communicator and said, "Let's get on patrol, but we have a stop to make tonight, first thing."

Raven materialized her two teammates into the center of the city, knowing that she said that they had a stop to make, but where that stop was she really did not know. However they were looking over the area where the fight had happened. The only hint that anything had happened was some leftover vines after Tutu had pulled them down, and the marred spot on the pavement where Beast Boy had fought. They went down, and found the rocks still there where they had landed. There was nothing special about them, no discoloration, nor anything about them that could hint on the trail upon which they sought. Then Raven remembered in which direction the girl had ran, and remembered her on the beach that one day. The way she ran headed in that direction, and she wondered if where she lived had to do anything with that. Raven took everyone back to the rooftops, and she began to triangulate. At that, she remembered that there was an area of private homes that was not too far from the beach in that direction, and she then took everyone there.

At that point, Madam Rogue was arriving in that area, and she morphed into the shape of the social worker that she normally took to keep the guise that the state was watching after her. At the moment she was knocking on the door of Gaia, Shadow Force arrived on the scene. Gaia opened the door and said, "Shirley, this is unexpected! Come in!"

Rogue looked around, seeing that the house was still in order, and she then said, "Well, as you know, there is only a month left before school, and we wanted to be sure that everything was going well. Were you able to get the tuition in for next semester?"

"Oh, it was no problem," said Gaia.

"Well, we just wanted to be sure. You know how bureaucracy goes: a young orphan girl taking care of herself, trying to pay her own way, they like to ask questions."

"Boy, don't I know it."

"Well, there were a couple of new things from the state that may have complicated things, and that's why I came to check, but it seems it all went smoothly. I see you have some of your photo albums out."

Gaia's face dropped just a touch, and she said, "Just reminiscing."

"I hope it wasn't because you were feeling sad."

"Well, not really, it's just…"

"Just what, honey?"

"Well, I remember what the doctor said, and that things were a bit too traumatic for me to remember all the things of my past, but that it would pass in time. But that was two years ago. Now, I still have sketchy memories, but I figured that it would have all come back to me now."

Rogue took on a sympathetic face and put her arm around Gaia's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze, and she said, "Aw, its okay. Sometimes it takes more time for things to settle down. Think about it: you're living on your own, trying to make it happen, and you're at an age where you are growing into a fine young lady, and you have all that to worry about. It may not be until you graduate and get all the pressure of school off you until things finally come around. Just keep giving it time. Remember, if you need someone to talk to, you still have my number. Never hesitate to call, okay?"

Gaia hugged back and thanked her with a bit of a smile, to which Rogue said, "Now that's my strong girl! I'll try to be by on your start of school to make sure that all goes smoothly."

They said their goodbyes and Rogue left. Yet, this was not without notice.

As the three moved through the neighborhood, Raven caught onto a familiar feeling, and it was not a good one. Not too far from Gaia's house, they rounded a corner and bumped into someone that looked like a social worker…for about four seconds. Right before their eyes, this woman transformed into Madame Rogue. It did not take long for Raven to figure out what was going on, and she said, "Funny, I never thought the civil service would have recruited the likes of you."

Rogue looked up, quite surprised at the sight. Magpie then chimed in and said, "It's either that, or you either want something from someone, or you are putting up a false front of deception. I can't figure out which."

"And I am wagering it has something to do with a girl named Gaia," added the Shadow.

Now Madame Rouge's face took on an appearance of both fear and shock. "What do you know about her?" she snapped in her characteristic Russian accent.

"We know that there is something special about her," said Raven, only wanting to reveal that much, "and it seems a keen interest to the Titans to figure out what that special thing is."

"Stay away from her!" snapped Rogue, now seeming to take on a fighting stance.

"Interesting," said Shadow, who had long ago learned to take on that sinister voice of her namesake, "There must be something you are interested in as well, or else you wouldn't even bother."

"You talk to much, child!" she snapped, "I warn you, you mess with her, and you may be getting into more than you want!"

"And what that is, we do wish to get into," said Raven, as her eyes now began to glow, "Now, are you going to talk, or…"

Her answer was a thrust at Raven, who quickly ascended straight up into the air at the same moment that the Shadow vanished. Magpie did not have such luxuries, but her distraction with Raven allowed him to strike. He came up with a spinning kick to her head. Her head stretched backwards as if it was attached to an elastic band, and it snapped back with her having an enraged look on her face. Then she affected a smirk and said, "It will take more than that to beat me, foolish man!"

In seconds she had intertwined her arms around Magpie tightly, but then she began to hear a voice in her head, saying, "I suggest you let my friend go, or feel my wrath."

Rogue was looking all around for the location of the voice, but it said, "It's no use, I am everywhere and nowhere."

"Show yourself, you coward!" snapped Rogue, but this was the distraction that Magpie was looking for as he dropped a magnesium flare on the ground. Rogue screamed in pain as she was blinded and released her grip to brace her eyes. That was followed by her feeling the high powered tazer in her hip as provided by the Shadow. Raven then used her telekinetic abilities to fling her across the small park in that area. She slammed into the playground equipment, stunned, and now in no mood to fight. She gathered enough of herself to say, "Only a fool fights in a burning house. I warn you: stay away from her, or you will upset a hornet's nest!"

With that, she stretched her legs to where she stood about 20 feet high, and she began to run faster than they could go to catch her. Raven could have appeared before her, but now they had more of an interest in the girl.

After that, they started to head off in the direction from where Rouge had come. Raven then caught onto Gaia's aura with her empathy, and they were able to locate the house. Shadow took the task of investigating, and when she returned, she reported that there was no evidence of there being anyone else but Gaia living there, no car, no mark of her having parents or guardians around, but she had pictures of her family all around, and noticed a photo album on the couch. While Gaia was readying herself for bed, she took the liberty of investigating the album, and found a life that led up to the time she was about thirteen or fourteen, and that is where the record ended. As they discussed what this all could mean, something interesting was taking place in the house.

While Shadow was returning to the others, Gaia had gone to bed early, having been tired from the day's events. As the team talked, she began to dream. In her dream, she saw herself standing in the Arizona desert, and standing before her, looking exactly like her, was Terra. "Well, it's about time you acknowledged me, Gaia," Terra said smiling.

"What…what's going on?" she said, all confused, "Why do you look like me?"

"That's because you are me, silly," answered Gaia, giggling.

"No, you can't be," she said, "I am who I am. The photos…and the memories…"

"They're not real," said Terra, still smiling, and as reassuringly as she could, "We are the same, and we have been reborn, except there is one thing that is right."

"What's that?" asked Gaia, all confused now.

"You don't want to remember. I've been here all this time, but you won't acknowledge it."

"No, please don't do this to me! Things are back to normal!"

"Honey, they've never been normal. I only wished that you would have listened to Garfield."

Gaia was now, in her dream, plugging her ears, saying, "Stop it! STOP IT!"

"When that thing happened today," said Terra without interruption, "you allowed me to be more one with you than before. Because of that, I now live in your subconscious. If you don't mind, I would like to borrow our body for awhile. I have someone to visit."

Outwardly, Gaia was mumbling all this, but it was all her talking, speaking for both people. She even plugged her own ears in her sleep. Then, everything went calm, and she sat up, with her eyes open, as if nothing was wrong. However, for that moment, Gaia stepped out, and Terra stepped in.

As the team talked, Raven went pale and stiffened. "No," she said, real softly, and then looked at the house. She started to move, but before she could she heard the sound of earth being broken up, and she stood in awe as she watched a blonde girl in a white nightgown rise up on a slab of rock that resembled a crude wakeboard. It spun around and Terra saw the three on the ground. She recognized Raven, waved happily, and then started to head off towards Titan Tower. "We have to get back, now!" said Raven, and she gathered everyone together as she went to take them back to the headquarters. There was a disaster that she hoped to avert.

5


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In San Francisco Bay sat Alcatraz, which had since been refurbished and transformed into the west coast outlet of the United States Metahuman Detention Center. It was once known as the most secure maximum security prisons in the world; for there had never been one to ever step forward to speak of a successful escape from the place known infamously by prisoners and former prisoners alike as The Rock. Now, the prison was more secure than ever, and it was a place where the worst of the evil metahumans were detained. It was there that one Vanessa Kapatelis, also known as the third incarnation of the Silver Swan, was recently transferred and detained. She had been true case, considering that much of her crimes were done when she was not in her right mind. "Neisse", as she had been known by friends and confidants, had, at one time, been used by some crafty super villains to get at Princess Diana, also known as Wonder Woman. Diana had once acted as an older sister to Vanessa after she had rescued her from a villain named Decay. However, after time, two villains name named Doctor Psycho and Circe used the girl's low self-esteem against her and caused her to be jealous of the very one that had done so much for her. By implants and psychological conditioning, they had transformed her into the new Silver Swan and unleashed her against Diana and Donna Troy. After several attempts to reform her, all of which seemed to fail, (she even trying her hand at learning ballet, as the first swan had been a ballerina,) it seemed that she had no conscience for her crimes, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Now, she was in a hellhole in the middle of a bay filled with stormy water that was such that, if the attempt to swim to shore did not kill you, the sharks probably would finish the job. Equal to the gloom of the water as black as ink into which she stared was the darkness of the bare, cold walls of her cell, specially designed to withstand her sonic attacks. She sat on her bunk, knees drawn to her chest, arms around her legs, alone in the quiet cell which seemed to amplify the splashing of the unforgiving bay on the jagged rocks, and her own pounding heart. She stared into the water, because the only other thing to see besides the bridge which crossed the expanse was the sight of Titans Tower: a constant reminder of what she could have had, and threw away. It was bad enough that the tower was set so close to the prison; it was made worse when your cell was put adjacent to it. Shattering the mournful silence was the sound of something breezing by her window, and as she looked out, she saw the stone surfboard heading to the tower. Upon further inspection, she spotted the blur of a person mounted on top of it, and she could only think that it was one of the Titans heading back to the tower. She just growled under her breath, and curled up on her bunk in a fetal position, wondering if there ever could be freedom from her torment as she lay there.

At that moment, Beast Boy walked on the roof of the tower, on the helipad, pacing a grove into the tarmac. His face was so long that his chin might as well have been scraping on the ground. He pondered all that had happened that day they met again, and he was more worried than saddened, wondering if what he had suspected all along had been true: she had come back, but cared not to remember her past at all. He wanted to find her again; just to find out what had happened that day, but he then wondered if that would do more harm than good. Of all the people in the world, she was the only one that had bypassed his elfin ears, green skin and hair, and beanpole skinniness, and took him for who he was. The others tried to assure him that it was only because she had wanted to use him, and that added more weight to his already low self-esteem, considering that it seemed to be a left-handed way of reminding him that he was unattractive, and no girl in her right mind would come near him. He refused to believe them, and instead held onto the hope that it had all been real; for there was no way that she could have shown that much affection so genuinely if there had not been something there. Just as those thoughts hit him, he heard a voice say, "Garfield, I'm so glad to have found you."

He swung around one way and then the other, as the voice seemed to move around him, but he could see nothing. At first he said, "Cute joke, Elly: now let me see you."

There was a giggle, and the voice then said, "Silly, you can't recognize my voice?"

He did, but he did not want to acknowledge it, as if he believed that he was superimposing her voice over what he heard. "I know what I hear," he said, "but if you are trying to play a joke, it's not very funny!"

It was then that he saw something he thought he'd never see again: Terra on her stone wakeboard, with that smile that made him melt in his boots. He just stood there stunned as she started to move across the tarmac, walk fast, run, and then wind up at a dead sprint as she leapt onto him. They tumbled over, and though it hurt Beast Boy a bit to hit the ground the way he did, the pain quickly subsided as she planted a long, wet kiss on him. His tense body suddenly turned to mush as his eyes rolled back into his head and his arms slowly embraced her. When she finally let him come up for air, he said, "But I thought…but you can't be…you said…"

She then gently placed a forefinger onto his mouth with a grin and a vulnerable pair of eyes as she then said, "Shh, Garfield: its okay. You were right: I didn't want to remember…well, the personality that has been running the show doesn't want to remember."

"I don't…" Garfield tried to say, but she put her finger back again and said, "Please, don't try to understand right now. Just come with me for a while, would you?"

She stood up and put out her hand. He hesitated only for a moment, and then he took it as she helped him to his feet, just as the flat rock came up to them.

As this was going on, Raven, Magpie, and the Shadow all materialized in the day room where everyone else was, and Raven immediately asked, "Where's Garfield?"

"Hey, he's upstairs," answered Cyborg, "He was too down in the dumps to let me kick his butt on the system, which means he seriously has got some issues!"

That was all she needed to hear, as she started to sprint for the roof and said, "There's trouble!"

That was it for everyone else. They all dropped what they were doing and ran to the roof. Just as they arrived, they got there just in time to see Beast Boy getting on the back of the rock with Terra. "GARFIELD, WAIT!" hollered Raven, but it was too late. Terra saw what was happening and she was not about to let them stop all that was happening. Immediately, they took off like shot through a gun. Everyone was frustrated, because there was not much that could be done, but Kori figured that she could at least follow. She took off after them, and Raven just let it go, because she could not fly as fast, and if she tried to materialize on the stone, she might knock them off balance and get someone killed, and that was the last thing she wanted. However, the Batsons took the hint and both shouted, "SHAZAM!" and transformed into the Marvels. They took off in hot pursuit, hoping to come up with some answers.

Terra had a confident smirk on her face as she tore off, with Beast Boy clinging on for dear life, shouting, "Its okay, Terra, I think you can slow down now!"

"Can't," she responded, "We've got bogies on our tail!"

Beast Boy looked back to see Starfire trailing behind the Marvels, both of whom were closing ground fast. "I can't let them catch us!" she said, with a sound in her voice that echoed both determination and fear. Beast Boy then said, "Look, they're friends! You can trust them!"

"They don't trust me, Garfield, remember?" she responded, still thinking that they hated her despite the sacrifice she had made for them. However, he said, "It's not like that! You should go to the place where we had the last fight. You'll understand then!"

"There's no time for that," she then said, panic beginning to set into her voice. Yet, there was no outrunning the Marvels as they flew right into her path. "Hey, hold on there, Speedy," said Cap, "We just want to talk to you for a minute."

"No!" snapped Terra, "I can't let you take this away from me!"

Just as she was saying that, boulders and dirt came from all directions and quickly encased the Marvels as she took off again. However, that would not be nearly enough to stop the Marvels, who quickly smashed their way out and continued pursuit. Billy was a bit perturbed, but Mary kept it calm as she said, "Say, that was a neat trick! Hey, how would you like to land over there and we can talk about that for a bit?"

"You don't understand," she said, "They want to take Garfield away from me. I cannot allow that!"

It was after that that a rain of baseball sized rocks began to pelt them in earnest. It wasn't that it was hurting them, but the sheer amount was making it hard for them to see or negotiate their movements to catch her as she took off. Because of the activity, Starfire was finally able to catch up and intercepted them. She then said, with all the care and worry on her face that she could muster, "Please, friend, you have nothing more to fear! Please come back with me, for there is much need of discussion. You have been missing to us for so long, and we want to assure that all is well."

Terra looked confused at her and said, "How can you call me friend after what I did?"

"Terra, all is forgiven," said Starfire, "You gave everything for us to defeat Deathstroke. How could we hate you?"

Terra still did not trust her, and she said, "You lie! You just want to put me away as a freak!"

Boulders started to fly up now as her fear and rage increased, and now Starfire had all she could do to shoot them down with her energy bolts. Terra took off again and said, "Wait, friend Terra, this is not the way!"

By that point, she was making distance, and the Marvels pulled her away, as Cap said, "Let them go. If she had meant him harm, it would have happened by now."

By that point, Donna came up to them and said, "Sorry I'm so late. By the way, how are you so sure that harm won't hit them?"

"I don't know," said Cap, shrugging his shoulders.

"Let me tail them," responded Donna, "Maybe at the right moment, I can talk some sense into her."

Once she felt it safe, Terra began to relax a bit, and then she laughed a touch, saying, "Well, that was close! So, what do you want to do tonight?"

However Beast Boy said, "Terra, why did you do that? They wouldn't have hurt you."

She then stiffened again, and said, "After what I did, they would try to take you away from me. I cannot let that happen again!"

She set them down, and she then looked at him tenderly, saying, "Look, I was so wrong for using you like I did. I really do like you, Garfield. You have to believe that."

"I do," he said, "I never doubted that. Yet, well, things have changed. The Titans are a new group now. I'm not quite a Titan anymore, and I work off and on with the Doom Patrol again. Sometimes, they even call me Changeling now. I still respond to Beast Boy if the others say it, though I'm about 19 now."

"But, what were you doing at the tower?"

"We're babysitting for the Titans while they are on a mission."

"Still, I can't let anything get in-between us again."

"I don't care about the past, and neither do they. I'm telling you that all is forgiven."

She looked at him skeptical, and then she said, "Okay, prove it."

He had her take them to the place where the last battle with Deathstroke had taken place. They went in and he took them to the spot where the statue had been. Changeling, (Beast Boy,) took out his flashlight and showed her the plaque. She stood there at a loss for words, and she muttered, "You said this about me, even after what I had done?"

"You did wrong, but you made it right, Terra," came a new voice from behind, "Don't make a new mistake."

They both wheeled around to see Donna Troy standing there in the cave mouth. She then said, "Terra, all this just does not seem right. We want to find out how this is, and help you if we can."

She started to back off, not sure of what to think now. Donna then said, "Terra, there should be a statue of you standing there. Really, it should be you still standing there. Don't you think that is odd? I mean, what do you remember after you were petrified?"

"I…I…" was all she could say, and then she started to weaken, and said, "I…feel…tired."

She fell over as Donna caught her and then cradled Terra in her arms. Just as she did, the eyes fluttered open, and a groggy voice then said, "Where am I?"

"You're okay," responded Donna, "You're safe, Terra."

"Wha…" she gargled out, still half-asleep, "My name is Gaia."

Donna thought for a moment, and then she said, "You have had one whale of a spell of sleepwalking, honey. If it wasn't for Changeling here, there is no telling where you might have ended up.

"Sleepwalking?" she muttered, becoming more awake, "I don't understand."

Donna hushed her and said, "Don't try to think right now. Just go ahead and rest. Tell me where you live and I will get you there, and you can wake up in your own bed, okay?"

"Uh-huh," she said, starting to tremble, but Donna said, "It's okay: there's nothing to be scared of, it happens to the best of us. Just go ahead and sleep: you're safe."

Gaia told Donna where she lived, and Gaia curled up and started to fall asleep again. As she went out, Donna said, "I and some friends will come by tomorrow afternoon and check up on you."

"Thank you," she muttered weakly, so sleepy that her subconscious must have told her she was dreaming as a self-defense mechanism. Donna then said, "Go ahead back to the tower and we can all talk about this. I think this girl has more problems than we would dare wish on anyone."

He looked sad, and Donna said, "Don't worry, if there is a problem, you know we can handle it. Chin up: if this is Terra, you have some good days ahead of you!"

With that, she took off and took Gaia home. Changeling stood there pondering all that just happened, wondering what to make of the whole thing. He turned into and eagle and started to fly back to the tower at a loss for what to do now. It seemed that Terra had indeed returned. However, how had this had happened? Worse, it was what she had said that disturbed him a bit: her other self would not acknowledge Terra. What did she mean by that? Was she possessed? Was her mind sick? Now he was more concerned than ever before. One thing was certain: he had to protect her now, no matter what, no matter how much the Gaia side protested.

3


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Deathstroke and the Brain were in disarray in this. They had seen Gaia leave and then be brought back by one of those annoying Amazons. Now, had this been just that woman, they could have written this off as her sleepwalking, and then rescue her and bring her back, there would have been nothing to say. The metahuman would have just written it off as another good deed done for another proverbial merit badge and a pat on her own back. However, when Raven, the Shadow wannabe, and that upstart Magpie confronted Madam Rouge before all this happened, this was all more than coincidence. Why were they even there? What did they know that they should not? Deathstroke looked at the Brain and said, "It is time. We must extract her before they snoop too close to the truth of things!"

"In time, dear Slade," answered Brain, "We do have to extract, but I would like to inject something that would insure they would keep their distance."

Deathstroke looked at him oddly, not certain where he was going with this, and he said, "Would you care to fill me in on just what you are talking about."

"You are not the only one with interest in genetics and other such research."

"What do you have cooking?"

"When Cadmus brought back a mistake they had made, and even admitted so that they had made, they did not quite dispose of things. They were not about to let that amount of research go to waste. They put their mistake into a cryogenic freeze while they studied the genetics of the child."

"…of the child? What, or should I say, who, are you talking about."

Ignoring the question, Brain went on and said, "They saved some of her stem cells to study, but they had no idea how to apply it. I knew how best to apply this, and so I had my men steal the child, and the stem cells. The child had died of a massive aneurism because they had pushed her far too far to develop her powers, but they had put her in the cryogenic freeze while she was yet newly passed, and that allowed my intelligence to act. I isolated the problem, set up some nanobots, and interjected them into her mind through the machinery they put there so that they could repair the damage. Her mind was well intact, so this was possible to do. I then toned down what she could do with her mind through the devices, and I have revived her through a method that would have made Mary Shelly proud. I now have her in an artificial coma, ready for the right time to unleash her. I have improved the band on her head that keeps her docile and under control. Considering her powers, once we have Terra returned to us, we can bend Terra's mind, and then use the two of them to exact our revenge and further our march to global conquest."

"Again I ask: of whom do you speak?"

"They gave her the codename of Ace."

"When do we go?"

"I shall send Monsieur Mullah, her, and some foot solders to fetch her at first light."

At the tower, the heroes there bantered back and forth as to what to do next. It was clear that there were two minds in that girl's head, and it was clear that one was the real one, and one was one that was either put there, or just formed in the absence of Terra being repressed. They had to assume "repressed," because, if all they had experienced up to that point had told them anything, it said that some part of her mind did not want to remember who or what she was, and the horrible things she did. It seemed as if it was some kind of split personality, but it was odd the way it had formed. The other provocative question was how she even came back in the first place. Considering how Madame Rouge was interested in her, then that could only mean that the Brotherhood of Evil was on the other end of her leash, and that they had something to do with all of this. One thing they knew they had to do was to go back the first thing in the morning and bring her to the tower and see if Tutu could root around in her head and find out just what was going on. Because of the need to keep a front, the Secret Six were heading to Alcatraz to do a prison show for the metahumans imprisoned there, though why the authorities wanted this was unknown. They could only guess that it was something to help reform them, or to keep morale up to prevent riots and things like that. Considering who and what was in there, they could ill afford such a thing happening. Thus, it was decided that the Shadow Force would then take up the job of bringing her back reinforced by Donna and Starfire, just in case they faced something severe. Garfield wanted to go as well, but everyone decided it would be best that he and Cyborg remain in the tower to watch over things while they were away. They said that his presence may complicate things, and when they brought her back, she would need someone there that she knew to help her calm down and know she was safe. Reluctantly and with great sadness, he agreed to this, wishing he could do more.

Gaia tossed and turned in her sleep the whole night. She was lost as to how and why she had been out there, and why she was there with Garfield. Again, in her sleep, she confronted her mental twin Terra, but this time, she was angry. "Get out of my mind!" snapped Gaia.

"Sorry, but it's my mind as well," answered Terra, "and you are only a portion of who I am: only that which your makers wanted to come forth."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, that's right…you think all this is real. You think that all the memories you currently possess are yours. Are you going to be in for a surprise, or what?"

"SHUT…UP!" she yelled at the Terra half of her, and lunged at her. Terra sidestepped and let her go by, but Gaia was quick and pounced on her. In a flash, they were in a catfight, scratching and clawing at one another, biting and pulling hair. Gaia finally had the upper hand, and gave her a right cross that would have made the heavyweight champion proud, and that suddenly snapped her awake in severe pain. When she came to, she was hurting all over. She was scratched up, bleeding in spots, small chunks of hair in her fingers, and even bite marks that drew a bit of blood. She rolled out of bed and looked in her mirror, and she was a mess. She had literally been fighting herself in her sleep! From a small squeal, growing into a cacophony of a vicious scream, she grabbed her head and collapsed to her knees. It was not just somewhat of a nervous breakdown over what had happened, and what was happening in her head, but it was also a terrific headache as her mind flooded with conflicting memories—her actual memories as Terra and the ones that were put into her mind. Because of what Terra had told her in her sleep, she feared that it all now just might be true. **Now** maybe it was time to seek help from Garfield and his friends, because this was becoming worse and worse by the moment.

She had no clue on how bad it was going to get.

As she sat there on her knees in pain, the first lights of dawn were climbing over the horizon, and at that instant, the front door flew in with a violent crash. Brought to her senses, she wheeled around while still on her knees in time to see her bedroom door receive the same treatment as the front door, and in rushed a large gorilla, pointing and yelling, "That is her! Take her!"

About nine men burst in and charged her before she could even understand just what was happening at that instant. She could not even formulate in her brain that it might be advisable to scream before they were gagging her and snatching her off the floor. She struggled and fought the whole way until she was stilled into surprise when, not only did the ape speak again, but in a quite intelligent sounding French accent. The ape said, "It is better for you to stop struggling, for your resistance shall be fruitless. It is time to drop this charade and have you develop things in yourself of which you have yet to realize you possess."

She now realized that all that her other half had been telling her was now becoming clear. However, she now just remained motionless in terrified silence as her mind was trying to wrap itself everything that had happened since the night before. As they took her outside, she hoped the sounds of what was happening in the house would alert some neighbors that something was amiss. However, when they brought her outside, she could see a couple of neighbors out watering their lawns, joggers go by, and a van delivering newspapers chucking out that day's issue pass as if there was nothing was happening. Gaia's/Terra's eyes darted around trying to figure out why people could not see what was clearly going on around them. It was then when she was a girl that looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years of age in a black cat suit, short cropped sassy haircut and a gold band around her head as she stared off into space. None of this was making sense. What made matters worse was that there was a black van with a door wide open waiting there, and she could see a gurney with straps on it as well. She then started to struggle with all her might, but in her mind she said, "Let go, and merge with me…let us be one again!"

Raven teleported them in just as all this was happening, but to the eyes of Magpie, Donna, and Starfire, all seemed to be normal. He then said, "Well, it looks like things are quiet. Let's go get her…"

However, Raven used her magic to pull them back and said, "Something's amiss. There's a presence here, but something is trying to block my mind from seeing it."

Shadow heard this and focused. Because she had the powers to make people see what she wanted them to see, she cleared out the illusion and saw things for what they were. She shouted, "TERRA!" which then stopped her kidnappers dead in their tracks. This also caught Ace's attention as she broke her concentration long enough to turn around to see who yelled, and instantly everything could be seen. Ace then locked her eyes on the Shadow and she pointed and merely muttered, "You…trouble!"

Shadow could then actually sense that this girl was trying to redouble her efforts and cloud things further, and she quickly had to compensate before she did make Shadow see what she wanted her to see. Magpie leaped into action before the men could get a weapon on him and started to take them down. Because he had been trained in Krav Maga from his time in the military, and the form called Systema, he was quickly putting them down and out of commission. He was breaking limbs at the joints and striking pressure points with well placed chops and strikes that caused his opponents so much pain that they just could not continue. Many of them actually went down in one blow. However, it then felt like someone had hit him in the back with a sledgehammer as Monsieur Mullah struck him with a forceful blow. He flew about ten feet and landed hard as he tried to regain his breath. "Foolish human!" the ape announced, "You have no idea how futile your efforts are now to become."

He was closing in on Magpie who was just trying to regain his faculties when a large rock hit him square in the chest. Raven was moving in when she saw this, and realized that Gaia/Terra stood there with a determined look on her face. "Leave my friends alone!" she shouted. She had started to run away, but something inside her made her stop and come about. Terra had taken control once again and started to act. Mullah, now seeing that all this was beginning to fall apart, decided a hasty retreat was needed and started to flee when an energy bolt landed at his feet. He looked in shock at the small crater it had made when his eyes came up to see Donna and Starfire standing before him, both not in a nice mood. "Monsieur Mullah, you shall now accompany us and tell us what you know!" demanded Starfire, to which he said, "Naïve fool! You really think you can catch me!" and he began to move swiftly away from the scene that was now building. People, who had now been broken from Ace's spell were gathering around to see what was going on and calling the police. The last thing he needed was for him to be caught with all the witnesses around and have everything lead back to his boss in one fashion or form. Yet, Donna was not about to let this pass. She flew and landed in front of him, saying, "It's not going to be that easy Mullah!"

"Well then, let us see if you are as good as the other Amazon dog!" he said, knowing this would rile her, but he hoped it would make her mad enough to make mistakes. Yet, she was more composed than that, despite the fact that it did anger her, but she just turned it into indignation and she said, "Idiot! You know I am more than a match for you, unless Wonder Woman beat some intelligence out of you the last time you had a scrape."

He took a defensive posture and said, "No, she only made me wiser to her ways," and began to try to fight her. Yet, she was more than up to the task, able to take his blows far better than a normal human was, and swift enough to keep up with him. Though he got in a few good licks, he was starting to get beat up, now realizing that she was just as vicious as Wonder Woman ever dreamed of being. The first moment that opened up, he tried to amble away, but he did not get far as a golden lasso wrapped around him and then snapped him back hard. He then lay there completely docile as the lasso took its effect. She then walked up and said, "Now, big guy, you ARE going to tell me everything I want to know."

Magpie had just finished restraining the last of these men with the help of Starfire for the police to have a nice neat package to retrieve, and that was then he just saw Ace and the Shadow just standing and staring at one another, locked in psionic combat. They were both trying to get the better of one another as they were trying to get each other to see what they wanted the other to see. For Ace, this was nothing more than a game, while, for the Shadow, it was straining, as she had never used her powers quite in this way before. Raven was about to confront Terra when she sensed this and saw what was happening. Raven had been briefed on this girl, and she thought she had been dead, but there she stood. Yet, she also knew that Shadow did not yet have the skill to confront such a mind as yet, and had to intervene. What she did remember was that Batman had told her that she had no real wish to be evil, and the only reason why she tried to act on her own once she was loose was that she was just expressing her anger over how her whole life had been stolen from her. She deeply wanted a friend, and found one in Batman right before she died. Yet, one thing she knew was that that band kept her under control, and was linked to whoever her handler was; keeping her from unleashing what she could do with her stare. Still, she could not think that she would do that if she were not acting of her own free will, which is what she was assuming at that moment. It was a risk to assume this, considering what she was about to try, but it may be the only way to set her free and find out why this mystery was growing worse and worse by the moment. With that, she reached out with her power and lifted the band off her head. All at once, she blinked, shook her head, and started to fall back weakened as Starfire caught her. Shadow then collapsed to the ground with no energy left, glad the combat had stopped. She did not know why this happened, but she was glad it was over for the moment.

Raven then looked at the blonde-haired girl and said, "Okay, can you even tell me what is going on?"

"I have no clue!" said Gaia with puzzled look on her face, only to have that replaced by a gentle smile and a response that said, "Of course you don't. You have no idea what was in store for you, either."

The worried face returned and said, "Please, just leave me alone."

"Are you talking to me?" asked Raven.

The happy face returned and said, "Oh no, Raven: she's talking to me."

"Oooooo…kay," said a confused Raven, "and I thought Batman had personality issues. She's actually arguing with herself."

"Gaia, you are me and I am you," said Terra, "We must become one!"

"Stop this!" squealed Gaia, sharing the expressions befitting the moods of each personality, "I just want it to stop!"

Terra then looked at Raven and said, "Can you take me back to Titans Tower? Maybe we can help fix this?"

"No," answered Gaia, "I want my house fixed, I want everyone to leave, and I just want normalcy!"

"It's too late for that," answered Terra, "It is time to realize that you have been programmed, and those false memories need to be purged. The part of me that desired a normal life is what makes up you, Gaia, and I want that back. You have to do this if you want to be whole."

"Stopitstopitstopit!" she screamed in fast succession as the headache returned, and Raven, knowing that she would go insane if this kept up touched the top of her head and put her out. They would indeed take her back to the tower and keep her out until Tutu could get up there in her head. If there was anyone that could resolve this, it was she.

Raven eased Terra to the ground as she then went over to check on the others. She then went up to see a now shocked and terrified Ace muttering, "Where am I? How am I alive? What is happening to me?"

It was clear she was in shock to some extent, considering that her last conscious memory was that she was dying. What was odder still was the fact that, somehow, her soul was intact. The only thing Raven could assume was that her soul must have been interred into her brain, yet, by this point, her brain should have decomposed to the point to where it could not retain a soul. These were answers that they would have to get later on. This would also be another job for Tutu, because this was turning into a horror show with each turn of the proverbial corner. Raven then went over to Shadow and said, "Are you okay?"

"Ohh," she muttered, "Tell the guy with the jackhammer to lay off!"

"That must have been quite a battle. She is very powerful."

Shadow gave her a look through her brow and said, "Now you tell me!"

"Things happened too fast to say anything," she said, "And oddly enough, that girl shares many of your powers. If she is not minded to do people harm now, she just may be able to help you become as powerful as Lamont Cranston had once been."

Elly remembered what she had read on the original Shadow to see if she could enhance what she could do. However, it seemed that many of his techniques went to the grave with him, considering that he predated all the known metahumans by more than a few decades, and thus there was no one with whom he could pass on this knowledge. Yet now Elly hoped that, if what Raven said was the case, this girl might be able to teach her. Raven then said, "Let's get Terra and Ace back to the tower."

"Is that wise, Raven?" asked Starfire, "If Ace is not benevolent; it would be the same as taking one of your venomous serpents and trying to cuddle it in your chest."

"Actually, they can be cuddly if you do it right," joked Raven a touch, "But that is neither here nor there. Between Tutu, Elly, and me, we should be able to contain her. We'll also have to contact the JLA and let them know what has happened. This could be much bigger than we fear."

While that was going on, Donna was getting ready to question Mullah when a paddy wagon pulled up with a SWAT team, saying, "Well, I see you've already got this under control. Thank you for your help. We'll take it from here."

"Well, sir, we have to…" Donna started to say, but the men had already used level four arm restraints on Mullah and removed the lasso as the others were taking the men away, and doing it rather quickly. He then said, "If you can, please make sure you send in the report within standard procedures for this capture, because we are going to need full statements so we can make a case against these men."

"Well, of course, but…" said Donna, trying to answer again, but just fast as they came, they had everyone gathered and taken swiftly. It seemed odd that the police would act so quickly, but she knew this kind of thing was normal and she let it go, knowing she would be able to deal with the authorities later on. In the meantime, they had to get everyone back to the tower and find out what was going on. When she saw Ace in distress, she put the lasso around her, knowing it would, at the least, calm her and help her cope with things better. There was much to be done.

"That was close," said Mullah to the man who had led the "SWAT team."

"Deathstroke saw by Ace and the camera just inside the front door that was looking out that things weren't going well," answered the man.

"What is worse is that the Brain is going to be highly upset that we lost Ace so quickly," muttered Mullah.

"We wanted to snatch her up," responded the man in charge, "But that would have looked odd. The crowd saw that she was not involved and then wondered why we were arresting a child."

"Then the first thing we must do is get her back somehow," answered Mullah, "Take us back to your outstation and I will let Brain know that we are working to retrieve both Ace and Terra. If I cannot do that, my life span may greatly shorten for failing at this, and losing one of his most powerful weapons."

As everyone was released from their restraints, Mullah brooded on the matter, realizing that he should have accounted for this. He did not expect that the supers would get involved, and he had to write it off as a chance meeting, both sides thus having intents for one thing or another, each side not knowing the other was going to be there. Yet, he also knew he had to get them back, and fast, before Brain and Deathstroke came for _him_ for failing so miserably.

5


End file.
